good night and good luck

Seattle City Council member and longtime journalist Jim Compton is quitting the governance game in order to teach in Egypt and study Romanian democracy [p-i. Sure, this might sound a little more intriguing than another winter in Seattle, but it leaves an important gap on the council. But don't worry, you won't be forced to participate in the election of his replacement. Rather than firing up the old election machinery, the city council gets to appoint a successor of their own choosing.

Compton's resignation and the implications of the brand new Mystery City Council Member has left the Stranger's weblog all atwitter [slog (7,6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1)] on who will replace him, what it all means for the council presidency, the ins and outs of the process, whether the new unelected member it will help the Nickels agenda. And livejournaler “bluemoonshark” is upset about the effect of his absence on the Maritime Heritage Crisis [lj].

The council has twenty days after Compton vacates his seat on 6 January 2006. This gives all of you a few weeks to cozy up to your favorite councilmembers to vie for the appointment.